The Ohio Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from David Hollie, the man convicted of murdering 34-year-old Choice Washington on a Warren street last year, leaving his sentence of 41-and-a-half years to life in prison fully intact. The decision closes off one of Hollie's last avenues to challenge his conviction after lower courts already ruled against him.
According to WFMJ, the state's highest court declined to hear Hollie's case, meaning the prior rulings from Trumbull County and the appellate court stand without further review. Washington was shot outside a convenience store near the 300 block of Scott Street in Warren in August 2025, the station reports, and he was taken to the hospital, where he died from his injuries days later.
A Case Built on Flight and Firearms
Court records paint a chaotic scene on the day of the shooting. A news release from the Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office states that Hollie was charged in the Aug. 3, 2025 fatal shooting of 34-year-old Choice D. Washington on Scott Street NE in Warren, and that Hollie fled the scene in a stolen silver Buick, leading to a high-speed chase that reached 111 mph. A jury ultimately found him guilty of five felony charges, including murder with a firearm specification, the prosecutor's office says.
Those additional charges included having weapons under disability, tampering with evidence, failure to comply with a police order or signal, and receiving stolen property. Hollie received maximum consecutive prison sentences totaling 41-and-a-half years to life, per the office's own account, handed down by Judge Sarah T. Kovoor in October 2025 following a jury trial in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, as reported by WKBN.
Repeat Offender Status Added to Sentence
The prosecutor's office also notes that Hollie was declared a repeat violent offender based on prior 2005 convictions for involuntary manslaughter, aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery. That designation under Ohio law, outlined in Section 2941.149 of the Ohio Revised Code, factored into the severity of the punishment stacked onto his murder conviction.
Court filings also show disagreement on Hollie's exact age: WKBN identified him as 47, while the Tribune Chronicle reported he was 46. The Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office release identifies him as 46.
Appeals Fail at Every Level
Hollie first tried to overturn his conviction and sentence through the 11th District Court of Appeals, but that effort was denied. A three-judge panel of Scott Lynch, Eugene A. Lucci and Robert J. Patton heard the appeal and ruled unanimously against Hollie, according to the station's report. His attorneys had argued that Judge Kovoor erred by not instructing the jury on self-defense, and separately claimed his trial counsel had been ineffective — arguments the appellate panel rejected.
With the Ohio Supreme Court's refusal to take up the case, Hollie has now exhausted the appellate options described in the available court record. He remains in state custody serving the sentence imposed in Trumbull County for the killing of Choice Washington.
